A shift-by-wire shifting device is known for example from DE 100 51 210 A1. It uses a shift lever that is moveable in a gate in two degrees of freedom, in the following designated as shift degree of freedom or selection degree of freedom. The gate has shifting and selecting paths which cross one another in the manner known from mechanical shifts. When the driver starts shifting and for this purpose moves the shift/selector lever from the end of a shifting path in the direction of the selection path, the control circuit is unable to detect if the driver intends a shift movement with or without path change, for as long as said driver does not start to displace the shift lever in the direction of the selection degree of freedom. In order to perform a shifting operation with path change in the shortest time possible, actuators for the shifting and selection movement are simultaneously actuated with this shifting device when the shift/selector lever is located at a crossing of shifting and selection paths and moves in the selection direction.
A problem of this type of control of the shifting operation is that the manual transmission allows simultaneous movements in shifting and selecting direction mostly only within very narrow limits. If these limits are exceeded the transmission jams. While upon manual shifting the driver can feel such jamming by a resistance of the shift/selector lever and accordingly can correct the lever movement, such a possibility is not present with a shift-by-wire shifting device. The paths of the shifting gates must therefore be toleranced closely in order to exclude jamming, but this renders the shifting operation difficult for the driver.
In view of the foregoing, at least one object of the invention is to state a shift-by-wire shifting device which securely prevents jamming of the shifted transmission even with generously toleranced guidance of the shift/selector lever. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.